


I can be Kara Danvers

by Blurredgraylines



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015), supercorp - Fandom
Genre: Angst, F/F, Secret Identity, Some mentions of the daxamite, Vigilante, lena near death, meet the parents, revealing of identity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-09
Updated: 2017-06-09
Packaged: 2018-11-11 15:23:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11151195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blurredgraylines/pseuds/Blurredgraylines
Summary: "In recent news, National City is seeing a rise in vigilantes appearing to be aiding Supergirl in her crime fighting efforts."Cat Grant frowns. Not even two months into her stepping down from CatCo, vigilantes are appearing all over National City."Is everything okay?""Nothing I'll have to worry about. My time has passed." Cat takes a swig of her wine.AU Where Lena becomes a Vigilante and something goes very wrong.





	I can be Kara Danvers

**Author's Note:**

> So.. this is a short one shot that had been running in my mind for awhile and a friend of mine helped with the ideas and helped to improve the story. IDK how to use AO3. There are slight mentions of Mon El but he's kinda insignificant.

"In recent news, National City is seeing a rise in vigilantes appearing to be aiding Supergirl in her crime fighting efforts."   
  
Cat Grant frowns. Not even two months into her stepping down from CatCo, vigilantes are appearing all over National City.   
  
"Is everything okay?"   
  
"Nothing I'll have to worry about. My time has passed." Cat takes a swig of her wine.   
  
"If you're worried, you can go back to National City."   
  
"I trust it's in good hand, Adam. They will survive even without me." She smiles at her son, sitting across her at a restaurant in Opal City. "So what are your plans now that you're back here?" 

* * *

"Who is she?"   
  
James leans against his desk in the office as he watches and replays the news again and again, hoping to get some clue regarding the new female vigilante.   
  
"I have been trying to use the DEO's algorithm to determine her locations and weapons but it seems like there are some interference to my codes." Winn responds as he busies himself with the laptop on hand. "She must have a side kick to keep her off the radar like this. Maybe a female me."   
  
"Or... A very intelligent CEO."   
  
Winn looks up to see the screens paused, revealing a small logo.   
  
"Lena Luthor." Their eyes widen. 

* * *

  
Kara offers Jess a cup of coffee as peace offering for times she barged into Lena's office despite her protests. Jess have since resigned to the fate that Kara Danvers means no harm, even though her insistence can be disruptive.   
  
"Kara!" Lena greets as the heroine walks into her office. She immediately drops her pen and rounds her table to meet Kara halfway.   
  
"As much as you have to keep a company going, you have to eat as well." The reporter shakes the takeout bags and set it down on the table before taking them out.  
  
Chow mein, potstickers, rice and a side of fortune cookies.   
  
Lena talks about her latest personal project - a kryptonite tracker, that she intends to hand it over to Supergirl once she's done. She calls it a return of favor to National city's favorite superhero for saving her life. With the Kryptonite tracker, Supergirl will be able to know whether there's any potential weapon that can kill her with little effort.   
  
"Please don't tell Supergirl. I know you're close to Supergirl but this is meant to be a surprise."   
  
Kara panics, and starts laughing. "Me? I won't tell her. Of course I won't. She won't find out. Definitely not!" She rambles before shoving more potstickers into her mouth.   
  
A loud crash disrupts their meal. Plumes of black cloud raise into their vision, before a bleeding White Martian crashes into the reinforced windows of L Corp. Another alien grabs the White Martian by its head and flings it across the street onto the next building before looking into the window and snarls.   
  
"I'll go call Supergirl!" Kara shouts as she runs out of the office towards the stairways.   
  
Once Kara is out of the CEO's office, she dashes towards the stairways where it's always isolated and changed into her super suit before flying around the building.   
  
Supergirl radios in the situation with the DEO and Winn returns a panicky "five minutes!"  
  
While Winn works on figuring out what alien is rampaging through National City, Supergirl tackles the unknown alien and sends it plummeting down towards the roads.   
  
The alien snarls and lunges at Supergirl, grabbing her by the neck and chokes her.   
  
"Black skinned, a little ape like and have super strength... Got it!"   
  
Supergirl wheezes and struggles against the strong grip of the alien whose grip tightens with every second. Though bulletproof and usually invulnerable, Kryptonians still need to breath.  
  
A grenade rolls beside the alien and emits smoke before it explodes, causing them to drop Supergirl and turn to the other assailant.   
  
In an ominous purple skin tight latex suit that is reinforced to withstand bullets and knives, the vigilante arrives.   
  
"They're Citadelians, a sort of clone to their creators since they can't reproduce. They're all brute strength and when I say brute, it may possibly mean stronger than you, Supergirl." Winn radios in.   
  
The vigilante fires two rounds off her modified weapon towards the clone that glows a luminous green before exploding.   
  
The Citadelian howls in pain.   
  
Taking advantage of the situation, Supergirl tackles them to the ground and delivers an onslaught of punches.   
  
Before the Citadelian have a chance to recover, the vigilante shoots a dart that embeds itself on their shoulder.   
  
Weakened, the clone grunts and passes out with a final blow from Supergirl.   
  
"Who-" Supergirl looks up and catches only a glimpse of the hood that keeps the vigilante's identity hidden. "..are you?"  


* * *

  
'Her silent appearance and departure gained citywide popularity. Without a word, she aided Supergirl in several occasion. Her ominous purple suit that is paired with a poncho looking hood that keeps her identity hidden, one can't help but wonder - who is she? Who is, Raven?'   
  
She shakes her head and tosses the newspaper into the bin.   
  
The door to her usually empty office opens. Jess bows as she closes the door behind her friend, Kara Danvers.   
  
"Hey!"   
  
Lena smiles.   
  
Friend is a foreign word to her. Having grown up as a Luthor, her parents kept her social life to a minimum, reveal knowledge upon knowledge to the young Lena who inhaled all of them without any questions asked. Because that was what her brother did - before he went insane. She studied, and excelled, and fared far better than her peers. Gossips flew, people avoided her and she never really knew how it felt like, except to be a Luthor.   
  
Her entire life was just being a prim and proper Luthor, attending formal events with Lex and socializing with people of wealth and fame.    
  
She was never allowed to be improper, even at the ease of her own house. Back straightened, shoulders wide and elbows always off the dining table, she never had the chance to be normal. Because normal doesn't exist in the Luthor's dictionary.   
  
The side glances, she ignored them. The whispering, she turned a deaf ear to them.   
  
But she could never escape feeling lonely.   
  
When someone becomes her friend after she had tried to shake off the burden of being a Luthor, she offers her brightest smiles and even an office full of flowers that costed her extra. But what does that amount of money mean when she had L Corp generating dollars upon dollars every single second?   
  
Kara Danvers is her friend. And she reaffirmed it.   
  
She returns the smile and shakes the takeout bag in her hand. "Even the strongest have to eat."   
  
Lena pours two glasses of water and joins Kara at the couch.   
  
They talk about their day, and Lena tells Kara about her new idea until a device in her office starts beeping.   
  
"The Kryptonite tracker!"   
  
Kara panics for a second. All the Kryptonite should've been brought to the Fortress of Solitude by Kal El.   
  
"This isn't right. There shouldn't have been any Kryptonite left."   
  
"How'd you know?"   
  
"Superman took all the Kryptonite there is and stored them away."   
  
"Well someone might've gotten new supplies or..." Lena runs a perimeter scan and notices the Kryptonite getting nearer and nearer. She grabs Kara and runs out of the office before the windows shatter. "Someone manufactured them."   
  
"Cadmus." Kara answers, voice filled with unveiled disdain.   
  
A loud roar interrupts them as it tears off the doors of the office.   
  
"Jess, get out of the building. Call the police while you run to somewhere safe."  
  
"What about you, Miss Luthor?!"   
  
She garners all the courage she can and turns to look at her secretary. "I'll survive, like I had for the past few weeks." Or for her entire life.   
  
Jess nods as the elevator door closes.   
  
Kara struggles to keep herself in check as she pulls Lena with her into the stairways.   
  
Their escape is cut off by the alien leaping in front of them. "Where is Supergirl?"   
  
Before they have a chance to react, the Green Martian tackles the alien out of the stairways.   
  
"GO!" He yells at the duo before plummeting off the building with the alien.  
  
The duo rush down the stairs and a group of DEO agents greet them and escorts them out of the building.   
  
Alex gives a curt nod towards J'onn, letting Kara know that she's needed right now.   
  
Kara releases her hold on Lena's hand, unsure of when she did it, and tells Lena that she's going to get Supergirl.   
  
Lena releases a shaky breath and nods. "Be safe."   
  
The reporter smiles and promises to.   
  
Seconds later, Supergirl swoops in and assists the Green Martian.   
  
"Supergirl, be careful!" Lena backs away as the trio crashes into the lobby of the building. "There are traces of Kryptonite on him."   
  
Alex panics. She starts yelling out orders to the other agents while interacting with Winn, requesting him to track down the source of the Kryptonite.   
  
J'onn tackles the alien and is thrown off by a beam of Kryptonite. The alien snarls before snapping its head towards Supergirl, poising itself to release the Kryptonite.   
  
Supergirl barely has time to dodge it. The Kryptonite tears through her usually immune body and seeps into her veins. Her eyes glowers red, then yellow, then green. The pain resonates through her body and hums. It cripples her and renders her vulnerable to all sorts of attack. She clenches her jaw and tries to stand, but the pull of Earth’s gravitational forces seems stronger due to the effects of the Kryptonite.

Her usual abundance of energy is sapped within seconds of Kryptonite poisoning.

“Kara!” The DEO agent rushes towards her, worried.

Supergirl heaves. She’s not in the best of state but the situation calls for all the help they can get. She gives Alex a gentle nudge, reassuring her that she’ll be fine and that J’onn needs her more than she does right now. In her state, she’s practically useless.  
  
The alien looms over her Kryptonite poisoned body and strikes against her weakened body, pummelling her through the gravels of National City.   
  
A silhouette drops from the sky and rests easily on the shoulders of the alien. The assailant stabs into the eyes of the alien before jumping off.   
  
The alien howls, and stagger backwards before the equipment blows, blowing its eyes off their sockets.   
  
In her weakened state, Supergirl barely makes out the shape of J'onn who joins Raven, the new vigilante, in taking down the alien.   
  
Unlike the Citadelian, this alien has been genetically modified, to contain Kryptonite within its body and uses it as a weapon. Without Winn's anti-Kryptonite suit add-on, Supergirl is rendered useless against the fight while the Kryptonite runs in her veins.   
  
With regenerative powers, the alien quickly regains sight and it seethes in anger as it charges towards Raven.   
  
J'onn tries to shield Raven from the impact but the alien swings its arms down and sends him crashing onto the walls of L Corp.   
  
Alex shoots at the alien, distracting it momentarily. The distraction allows Raven to run towards it and stab a knife into its body, the hilt beeping as it stays embedded.   
  
Before the vigilante have the chance to back away, the alien swats at Raven, sending her flying. Making use of her utility belt, Raven grits her teeth through the impact and pulls herself up onto the second level of L Corp.  
  
The knife embeds itself on the alien and starts expanding on its body before it goes off, blowing up half of its body.   
  
Supergirl clenches her fist and uses her heat vision to inflict more damage on the rampaging alien, which groans and flails their arms haphazardly in pain before collapsing.   
  
The agents of the DEO quickly recover the unconscious alien which is regenerating its body, containing it and moves it back to the DEO. J'onn lands beside Supergirl and follows her line of sight, to where Raven was last seen.   
  
"Come on, Supergirl. We got to get you back to the DEO." 

* * *

After spending the whole of yesterday lying under the sun bed and being constantly prodded by Alex to make sure the Kryptonite is out of her system, Kara decides to visit Lena at the L Corp to check up on her.   
  
She greets Jess who returns the gesture before entering the familiar office.   
  
Lena is buried in piles of paperwork and she barely misses Kara's entrance. She catches a glimpse of someone sitting down across her table, prompting her to lift her head.  
  
She knows it is Kara without her speaking or even looking because the only person that is permitted to enter her office without any prior notice is her best friend.   
  
"Working hard?" Kara teases.   
  
"I hope so." Lena chuckles, letting out a soft sigh as she signs another document. "The alien did a fair share of damage on L-Corp. I have to fill out all these paperwork for insurance claim as well as for repair works. As if I don't already have enough work to do."   
  
Kara frowns, not liking how her friend is taking on all the responsibility of the L Corp. "Don't you have people to do it for you?"   
  
"Everyone have their hands tied with work. I don't want to add onto their already heavy workload."   
  
The world pinned the burden of being a Luthor on Lena, the one that Kara deems the kindest. A Luthor, they say, will just cause more misery to the world. But all Lena have done was to try and make the world a better place, for her employees, for the citizens of National City.   
  
She takes on the menial tasks so her employees wouldn't -   
  
"What happened to your arm?!" Kara pulls at Lena's left hand. Unsightly purple blotches stain her usually flawless skin.   
  
Lena flinches, earning an apology from Kara. "A stray debris hit me yesterday when the alien threw the Green Martian against the building."   
  
"Shouldn't you get this checked out? It looks nasty."   
  
"I'm fine. I can't afford to take a day off."   
  
Kara folds her arms defiantly and stares at Lena for a moment before leaving the office without a word.   
  
"Kara?" Lena calls after her friend. She stands up to chase after Kara but the bruises throb and she winces.   
  
"Is Miss Luthor alright?" Jess asks as Kara steps out of the office.   
  
"She's pretending to be. But we all can see that she's not."   
  
"She should see a doctor."  
  
"Lena would choose the company over shelf any time." Kara shakes her head as Jess nods in agreement. "May I know where the pantry is?"   
  
"It’s just to the left from the elevator."   
  
"Thank you, Jess."   
  
With her super hearing, Kara hears the sigh that escapes Lena's lips. As much as she knows how independent and stubborn the CEO can get, she feels a need to protect and to care for her. Especially when her family turned against her, leaving her to fend for herself. She steps into the pantry and makes a temporary ice bag with a plastic bag filled with ice.   
  
Lena returns a thoughtful smile when she sees Kara walking towards her. "I thought you left."   
  
"I left to get some ice. Your forearm looks really bad."   
  
"It'll heal. No big deal." She winces when Kara places the ice bag on her forearm, from both the cold and the pain that shoots through her body.  
  
Just as Kara retracts her hand, Lena takes hold of it and starts rubbing gentle circles on her wrist. "Thank you."   
  
Kara freezes on the spot. Her eyes widen at the notion and she stutters. "I-it's nothing."   
  
Lena smiles.   
  
And in that moment, Kara swears her heart raced faster than the time Mon El confessed to her.   
  
She readjusts her glasses in a nervous tick and excuses herself. Jess's goodbye goes unheard as she crosses the length of the building and step into the lift that seems to be going unbearably slow that day before changing out of her outfit at a nearby alley and soaring into the sky, looking for a distraction.   
  
A distraction from the heart pumping adrenaline rush she got when Lena, her best friend, rubbed circle on her wrist.  
  
A distraction from the uncontrollable urge to hug her when she smiled.   
  
A distra-   
  
BOOM!   
  
"Supergirl we've got an emergency." J'onn radioes in.   
  
"I'm on it!" Supergirl responds and flies towards the source of destruction.   
  
"It's not an alien. It's a metahuman. Some sort of cyborg." Winn advises. "Might be Cadmus."   
  
Supergirl seethes with rage. Cadmus, the one that tried to hurt Lena again and again.   
  
"Supergirl!" Mon El joins her side, giving her a nod as both of them attack the metahuman.   
  
The attacker charges at the duo. Instinctively, Supergirl leaps and avoids being thrown off.  
  
"Mon El!" Supergirl shouts.   
  
The Daxamite takes the full brunt of the charge and gets thrown across the street. Taking advantage of the momentarily distraction caused by the Daxamite, the attacker throws a punch at Supergirl only to have their hand held back by a rope, mere inches away from Supergirl's face.   
  
Supergirl thank Raven for her assist with a nod. An uppercut sends the metahuman tumbling back before Supergirl follows through with a flurry of punches.   
  
Their body cracks and yields, but not enough to damage them. With a shove, the metahuman regains leverage and throws their shield towards Supergirl.   
  
The shield decks the heroine in the chest, knocking the wind out of her as she crashes against the building.   
  
Raven unsheathes her knife and cut across the metahuman's ankle, crippling them.   
  
Enraged, the metahuman roars in anger as pull a dagger out and hurls it towards Raven.   
  
With practiced agility and swiftness, Raven evades the flying weapon and fires her pistol, sending two darts towards the assailant.   
  
As the liquid seeps into their body, it triggers a chain reaction where the modified body parts starts to expand.

While the metahuman looks down on the damage done to their body, Supergirl emits a ray of heat vision. The heat vision strikes against the plated skin of the metahuman and reflects onto an unsuspecting vigilante, burning her torso.   
  
Supergirl gasps and rushes forward to apologize and help but Raven throws balls of smokescreen onto the ground, masking her movements.  
  
When the shock and smoke blows past, Supergirl uses her x-ray vision.

Raven is gone.   
  
The gutted feeling stays in her chest as DEO agents approach and apprehend the metahuman.   
  
"Are you alright?" J'onn asks.   
  
Supergirl breathes out a yes, but her heart is heavy with the knowledge that someone else isn't. 

* * *

Kara steps out of the elevator with takeout bags in her hand, only to be greeted by a frantic Jess.   
  
"Miss Luthor says no visitors today, no exceptions."   
  
The reporter frowns. "Why?"   
  
"It is unwise for me to ask."   
  
Fearing the worst, Kara runs past Jess and barges into the office to be greeted by an empty table. She turns back and narrows her eyes at Jess who is guiltily avoiding her gaze. "Where is she?"   
  
"I have no idea."   
  
"I swear to god if you hurt her-"   
  
"She sent me a message saying she won't be coming in to work and to reject all visitors, including Kara Danvers." Jess backs onto her own desk by an approaching Kara Danvers who demands the truth. "She didn't mention why."   
  
Kara listens for any quiver in her voice or for abnormal heartbeat but hears none. She backs away, realizing that she's traumatizing her best friend's assistant. "Sorry."   
  
"I know you care about her, Miss Danvers. Please make sure she's okay."   
  
"I will."   
  
She knows how Alex's heartbeat sounds like. She can pick up Alex's whereabouts and now, she's at the DEO talking to Vasquez. But Lena...   
  
Lena isn't her sister, or Eliza. She have no reason to know how her heartbeat sounds like. Lena is just... A friend. Her best friend. She panics, not knowing where Lena is. But her instinct takes her to Lena's apartment.   
  
She wonders briefly if she should ring the bell. What if Lena is busy? What if Lena had other matters to attend to? What if Lena-   
  
Fuck it.   
  
The doorbell chimes, and Kara listens for footsteps.   
  
She hears none.   
  
"Lena? It's me, Kara. Are you in there?"   
  
She knows Lena. Lena would tell her if she's meeting anyone out. Not like she had to, but Lena has the tendency to share almost everything because her life revolves around the L Corp, and being chased by people who wants her dead.   
  
Kara chastise herself for thinking that way. But fear creeps up on her as she thinks of the worst that could happen.   
  
She reaches behind the flowerpot that stands beside the door of the apartment and grabs the spare key that Lena mentioned to her once when they were eating at the Kombucha restaurant.   
  
The sight of bloodstained clothes greets her, with blood trails leading into Lena's bedroom.   
  
"LENA!" Kara sprints into her best friend's room to find her passed out on her bed, with her top strewn across the room.   
  
A soaked through bandage wraps across her torso, bleeding onto her bed. Fear shoots through Kara's mind and her heart ached at the sight of an unconscious Lena Luthor.   
  
She changes into her Supergirl outfit before she wraps her arm below Lena and picks her up. "Oh Rao, you're burning up."   
  
Minutes later, she's landing on the DEO's balcony and screaming and everyone to move out of the way as she carries her best friend into the emergency wards of the DEO where she isn't foreign to.   
  
Alex and Eliza rushes in behind her. "What happened to her?"   
  
"I'm not sure. I found her bleeding out at her apartment."   
  
"So she  _IS_ Raven!" Winn appears behind Alex.   
  
Kara gasps.   
  
"Girls, and boys," Eliza calmly puts on a pair of glove as she works on Lena's wound. "I'd need you guys to clear out of here."   
  
"She's... Raven?" Kara utters.   
  
Sensing the shift in Kara, Alex drags Kara and Winn out with her. She glares pointedly at Winn who shrugs his shoulders.   
  
"Kara, listen to me."   
  
"It was me..."   
  
"Not intentionally, Kara. And Lena knows that."   
  
"She helped me so many times before, Alex. And I- I saw the bruise on her arm. I thought it was because she got hit by a stray debris, like she told me."   
  
"To be fair, she doesn't know you're Supergirl."   
  
"Maybe she does." Winn whispers.   
  
A stern glare from Alex shuts Winn up, and he silently slips away from the sisters.   
  
From the corner of her eye, Alex catches a glimpse of Maggie who simply gives a nod towards Alex, letting her know that she understands the situation and she'll keep her distance until the sisters are fine.   
  
Alex thank the gods for gifting her with Maggie, the woman who understands her more than most of the people in her lives, perhaps as much as Kara. She refocuses on her sister who is pacing the length of the corridor. "Kara." She calls to get her attention back on her again.   
  
The heroine looks at her sister with tear brimmed eyes.   
  
"Come here." Alex spreads her arm out as an invitation to hug.   
  
Kara gladly steps into the embrace and relaxes into her sister's hold.   
  
The older Danvers rubs soothing circles on Kara's back. "She will be okay. Mum will make sure of that. It's not your fault. The metahuman deflected the heat vision. Lena of all people would understand that."  
  
"Kara!"   
  
Mon El walks through the DEO and is able to approach when Maggie stops him. He frowns.   
  
"What?"   
  
"They're talking." Maggie furrows her brows.   
  
"So?"   
  
"Let them have their moment."   
  
"But Kara-"   
  
"No buts."   
  
"It's not your call, Sawyer, you don't belong here." Mon El scoffs and insists on getting to Kara.  
  
Maggie swings her arm, decking Mon El in the face. She steels her expression as pain spreads across her knuckles. No need to give Mon El the joy of knowing that it hurts to punch him, she thinks. The punch isn’t enough to send him stumbling back like a normal human would, but the change in expression is enough.   
  
The Daxamite cradles his face in shock. "What are you doing?!"   
  
"There is a time and place for everything, Mon El. I don't know how your planet does it. But here, on Earth, we respect people's boundaries." Maggie narrows her eyes at the Daxamite as she steps towards him. "When I said let them be, I meant it. And stop pretending to be hurt by that punch."   
  
Mon El pulls his hand away from his face and straightens up. He clears his throat and glances around and notices J'onn watching them intently. Realizing that it is unwise to retort, he steps away and leaves.   
  
"Your boyfriend still haven't learnt after so long."   
  
Kara closes her eyes and nuzzle into Alex, who hugs her even tighter, without replying her. Mon El isn't the one that's hurt right now. It's Lena. And something in her is aching, hurting. She feels guilt, sadness, anger, and something.   
  
Something that she doesn't understand.   
  
She's with Mon el, isn't she?   
  
She's supposed to love Mon El.   
  
Eliza exits the room and joins her daughters. "She'll be unconscious for a little while due to the amount of blood she lost. But she will be fine." She reassures Kara.   
  
Kara hugs Eliza and whispers a soft "thank you" before walking into the room and sitting beside Lena.   
  
She takes Lena's hand into hers and cradles it against her cheek. "Oh Lena. I'm so, so sorry."   
  
Maggie walks over and stands beside Alex. The couple watches Kara for a few moments. "She's a better fit than Mon El." Maggie comments.   
  
"She is."   


* * *

Kara stays by Lena's side for two days.   
  
Two days of her talking to Lena who will never know what she talked about.   
  
Two days of her eating significantly lesser than she used to, causing J'onn, Eliza, Alex, Winn, James and Maggie to worry.   
  
They've tried to drag Kara out but she always declined.   
  
J'onn tells Mon El to stay out of the DEO until he tells him it's okay to return. He doesn't want Mon El to cause Kara more distress than she already is.   
  
In the afternoon, Lena stirs.   
  
Kara stands up abruptly and clutches onto Lena's hand.   
  
Her eyes flutter open.   
  
"Lena!" Kara greets with enthusiasm that has been absent for two days.   
  
"Supergirl?" Lena croaks out.   
  
The heroine nods. She pours Lena a cup of water and helps her into a sitting position.   
  
"Thank you."   
  
Kara beams.   
  
"How are you feeling?"   
  
"Alive. Where am I?"   
  
"Kara Danvers found you and called me. You're at the DEO."   
  
"Kara must be traumatized." Lena jokes as she leans back into a comfortable position.   
  
Supergirl gives a sad smile, and something aches again.   
  
"Help me extend my thanks to Kara. I'm indebted to her."   
  
"I will."   
  
Eliza steps into the room and she offers Lena a smile. "Glad to see you're awake."   
  
"Thank you. You are..?"   
  
Supergirl stands up and introduces Eliza and Lena.   
  
"Thank you for saving me, Doctor Danvers."   
  
"It's nothing. Supergirl brought you here in time." Eliza gives Lena a gentle squeeze on the shoulder and juts her chin over to Supergirl.   
  
"Looks like I have a lot of people I'm indebted to."   
  
"I have to run a few tests before I decide whether you're in acceptable condition to leave."   
  
"I'll be waiting outside." Supergirl excuses herself to allow Eliza to conduct her tests. She finds herself wondering the DEO and finds Alex in the database room.  
  
"Alex?"   
  
Her sister turns and smiles when she sees Kara. "Someone finally woke up, huh?"   
  
"How'd you know?"   
  
"You refused to leave her side. The only time when you'll leave is when Eliza have to do her tests. And Eliza usually runs her tests in the evening but it's not time yet." Alex explains.   
  
She knows Kara, the sister that she fought day and night for. She knows that even though Kara is together with Mon El, her heart is with another hero.   
  
Kara ducks her head. Is she that obvious?  
  
"I haven't seen Mon El around."   
  
"J'onn told him to stay out because he doesn't want him to cause any trouble."   
  
"Oh..."  
  
She needs to talk to him.  
  
"Eliza should be done soon." Alex pats Kara on her back.   
  
"I'll call you later." She calls back as she exits the database room.   
  
There are a lot of things on her mind. But mainly, it's all - Lena, Lena, Lena and Lena.   
  
Eliza says something and Lena laughs. She catches a glimpse of Supergirl near the glass panels and she waves.   
  
Taking that as an invitation to join them, Supergirl enters the room. "So how is she, Doctor Danvers?"   
  
"Her vitals are fine. Her wound is healing well. Faster than expected, actually! She can return home if wishes to."   
  
"Are you sure? Shouldn't she stay for another day or two to make sure everything is alright?"   
  
"I appreciate the thought, Supergirl." Lena interjects. "But I have a company to run and I've been absent for two days. People may take it as weakness."   
  
Supergirl sighs. She wishes Lena would care more about herself and less about the company. She wishes Lena would accept that her being a Luthor doesn't mean she have to work twice as hard to prove herself.   
  
"I'll send you back."   
  
"You don't have to. I know you're busy with keeping the city safe."   
  
"I don't have much to do. Moreover, Doctor Eliza would pester me if I don't, right?" Kara looks at Eliza with a forced smile, hoping that her foster mother takes the hint.   
  
Eliza rolls her eyes at Kara's antics. "Of course. You shouldn't move around much or it'll aggravate your wound."   
  
"So that settles it!" Supergirl pipes up.   
  
"Remember to change your dressings daily and a-"   
  
"Avoid alcohol and to take my medication on time. Yes Doctor Danvers." Lena smiles.   
  
"Alright Lena Luthor. It is nice meeting you. I hope I see you again but it best be in better situation than this."   
  
"I hope so too."   
  
Supergirl picks up Lena and walks her through DEO. Her face heating up as the agents watch her carry Lena Luthor to the balcony.   
  
"Are you alright, Supergirl?" Lena frowns in worry. "You're trembling."   
  
Adrenaline. Supergirl wishes to tell her that but she wouldn't have an adrenaline rush from carry another person. Is it because she's carry someone bridal style? But she have done it to so many other civilians before when she was saving them. Is it because there were a lot of people watching?   
  
Or is it because she's carrying Lena Luthor in front of everyone?   
  
"I'm good. Hold on tight, Lena." That is the last thing that leaves her mouth before she pushes herself off the ground.   
  
Lena Luthor clutches tighter onto Supergirl as they fly through the sky of National City.   
  
Supergirl feels her heart racing, her blood gushing.   
  
When she kissed Mon El, she felt the regular momentum of her heartbeat. Perhaps a little quicker than usual due to the drink she had at the alien bar. When she spent time with Mon El, she felt like she had to smile at his poor attempts at human jokes and her heart may have skipped a little when he appeared with flowers. He said Winn taught him so.  
  
But never like this.   
  
Never did her heart raced from being in close proximity with him. Never did she hear her heart beat so loud before. Never did she feel the need to keep the person in her arms safer than everybody else. Never.   
  
Never did she expected to feel like this.   
  
She lands with a soft thud on her balcony. Without letting Lena down, she walks through the apartment and enters the CEO's bedroom.   
  
"Thank you, Supergirl."   
  
"You're welcome." Supergirl hesitates.   
  
"Are you alright, Supergirl?"   
  
"I'm sorry."   
  
"Whatever for?"   
  
Supergirl chews on her lower lips. Alex's words rings through her mind. It's not her fault that Lena is injured. But somehow she was responsible for the injury, as much as fault comes into place. She may not have intentionally caused the injury but she was the one that made Lena bleed. "For hurting you."   
  
"It wasn't your fault-"   
  
"I know! But to see you unconscious and bleeding out because of me, I-"   
  
Sensing the inner turmoil in the superhero, Lena grabs onto Supergirl's wrist and starts rubbing smooth circles with her thumb, similar to what she did when Kara was in her office applying ice on her bruises. "Please stop beating yourself up. You've protected me more times than I could've counted. You're my saviour. And I know you wouldn't hurt me. Not intentionally."   
  
"Oh Rao..."   
  
She tries to stop her heart from racing, from focusing on the feeling of Lena rubbing her wrist. It's such a small and delicate action but it's driving her crazy. It's taking all of her willpower to not pull away from it.

Suddenly everything is much clearer, the voices of the people in National City and her heartbeat is getting louder. Her senses are starting to go into overdrive until Lena speaks again.  
  
"Stay?"   
  
The question catches her off guard, and if she's confused before, she feels even more conflicted now. A part of her is telling her to leave, because she's lying by omission. She doesn't want to lie to her best friend. But another part of her wishes to stay by Lena's side and keep her save forever. Rao, she would die for her.   
  
She finally lifts her head enough to look at Lena, who is looking at her with a glimmer of hope. It's faint, but Kara Zor El sees it. Perhaps it stems from being neglected by Lillian Luthor, whom focuses was on Lex, but never Lena. Perhaps it stems from feeling out of place, and undeserving. But to Kara Zor El, there's nobody more deserving than Lena, the woman who tries her best. The woman who isn't her brother, nor her parents.  
  
She's Lena Luthor, the girl who has to carry the name of Luthor that is tainted in sins, friend of Kara Zor El who carries the weight of Krypton's destruction on behalf of her parents. Lena Luthor, who tries to right the wrongs of the family name she painstakingly carries.  
  
A nod causes Lena Luthor to smile, a genuine smile. The smile that only Kara Danvers have the privilege of seeing. Not the smile that she uses to placate the public. But the smile that comes from her heart that was too used to being cast aside.   
  
"I'll call for takeout."   
  
"I should've known that Supergirl is too busy to learn how to cook her own meals." Lena teases.   
  
Supergirl blushes and fakes a snarl as see leaves the bedroom. She returns seconds later, telling Lena that she's going out to buy the food instead.   
  
"I'm afraid that people will think I live here and start sending people up for both good and bad reasons."   
  
"Of course." Lena agrees.   
  
"Have some rest. I'll be back sooner than you think."   
  
With that, Supergirl leaves the room and takes off from the balcony. Lena sighs and relaxes onto her bed, a luxury that she seldom have time for. Resting is a luxury for her, considering the thousands of things she have to do and to correct.   
  
Once Supergirl is out of sight, she changes into her civilian clothes and buns her hair up. She walks into Noonan's and places her order.   
  
"Kara!"   
  
Her best friend strides up to her and smiles.   
  
"Hey James." She answers. The flat tone gives her mood away.  
  
"What's wrong?"   
  
"Lena's injured."   
  
A knowing smile replaces his look of concern. It's known to most, perhaps all except Mon El, that Kara sunshine Danvers, only gets upset when people she really care about gets injured. And Lena is one of them. Perhaps the intensity of care extends beyond friendship but Kara doesn't know. Because to Kara, everyone holds a part of her heart. She gives them out like popcorn at a movie screening.   
  
"She'll be fine. I trust that you'll take good care of her."   
  
"I- what? No!" Kara fiddles with her glasses and avoids eye contact.   
  
James laughs at Kara's attempt to avoid the insinuation. "Winn told me you took Lena back home."   
  
"Takeout for Kara Danvers!"   
  
"That's my cue. See you, James!" Kara hastily collects her takeout bags and rushes out of Noonan's.

* * *

She lowers herself gently into the balcony, afraid of disturbing Lena should she be sleeping. She strips off her civilian clothes and pads gently towards the bedroom to see Lena working on her iPad.   
  
"Lena! You should be resting."   
  
The sudden voice startles the CEO, who clutches against her chest in shock.   
  
"For goodness sake, Supergirl." She sighs as she puts down her iPad.  
  
"Sorry to scare you. But you seriously should be resting instead of working."   
  
"I was just checking up with Jess and updating her on the situation."   
  
"Oh..."   
  
"So, what's for lunch?"   
  
Supergirl holds up the takeaway bag and asks whether Lena would like to eat her food at the living room or her bedroom.   
  
"Bedroom is fine, since it's already a mess."   
  
Their conversation steers from L Corp's latest innovations to the adventures of Supergirl to friends.   
  
"I am no Maxwell Lord, but I know that you're not only close with Kara Danvers, but also her sister."   
  
"How-"   
  
"I'm a Luthor, and I'm running L Corp. he's one of our few clients that purchase materials from us. He may drop subtle hints but he have no loose lips, Supergirl. He keeps secrets, but he likes to flaunt that he's aware of things the public aren't."   
  
The decision of telling Lena her true identity rests heavily on her shoulder. Alex wouldn't be happy if she told a Luthor that she's a super. But she's Lena, not Lex, not Lillian. Her sister got so mad when she told Winn. But Winn is working with them now. So what makes Lena any different?   
  
"Earth to Supergirl?" Lena waves her disposable chopsticks in front of the heroine that is deep in thoughts. "Penny for your thoughts?"   
  
"Lena, I-" The words dies on her tongue.  _I'm Kara Danvers._    
  
"Are you alright? Do you have to go? I'm sorry. I've kept you here long enough you sh-"   
  
"I haven't been honest with you."   
  
Lena stops talking.  
  
She frowns and clenches her jaw, bracing herself for whatever Supergirl has to say.   
  
The walls that Kara took so long to scale is rising higher again. This time, it's rising because of her. She sees it. She sees the cogs turn behind Lena's stoic facial expression. Her defence mechanism kicks in too quickly even for Kara, the girl of steel.   
  
"I'm sorry." Kara apologizes.   
  
But Lena is silent.   
  
Taking a deep breath, Supergirl retrieves a well-worn lead glasses and puts it on the bridge of her nose.   
  
Lena is still silent. Her jaws are still clenched, her face is still blank. She's well composed, from years of being a Luthor. She has learnt to mask her feelings behind her perfectly expressionless face.   
  
"I never meant to keep it a secret from you. But I don't want to lie about it anymore." Kara explains. "I was afraid. Afraid that you'll stop seeing me after I tell you I'm Supergirl, because I'm a Super and you're a Luthor and you have all the rights to be mad at me because Superman took Lex away from you. I don't want you to walk out of my life because you see me as Kara Danvers, not Supergirl. I can be Kara Danvers around you. Without the pressure of saving the world, without the pressure of being selfless. I am just me, plain old Kara, unemployed assistant of Cat Grant."   
  
Lena closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.  
  
"Please, say something?" Kara pleads.   
  
"I wished I could be angry at you, Supergirl. But what happened to Lex wasn't Superman's fault."   
  
The name 'Supergirl' suddenly sounds so taunting to Kara.   
  
"I wished I could be angry at you for lying to me, for keeping your identity a secret from me. Just because I'm a Luthor."   
  
"It's not because you're a Luthor!" Kara sighs exasperatedly.   
  
"But I can't."   
  
A stray drop of tear betrays her stoic expression, and Kara is quick to draw Lena into a hug.   
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
Lena clutches onto the red cape worn by the woman who saved her time and again. Be it Kara Danvers or Supergirl, they've had their fair share of saving her.   
  
"I had my suspicion. I chose to believe that you're Supergirl, not Kara Danvers. I'm not sure who I'm lying to because the scar about your eye can't be masked by the glasses." She tries to joke, as the silence turns into quiet sobs.   
  
"I promised I'll always be here."   
  
"Yeah, you did."

They hold each other for seconds, and then minutes, until the medication that Lena took starts taking effect. So Kara holds her best friend in her arms until her breathing evens out and she falls asleep. Kara slowly lowers Lena down onto the pillow. The fatigue from looking after Lena for two days starts kicking in. Despite the protest her mind makes, telling her to not fall asleep on Lena’s bed, the image of Lena resting on the bed slowly lulls Kara to sleep.

 


End file.
